By Jesy Beeson

A year is not enough time to change the world. When the Young Professionals chapter of the American India Foundation (AIF) began to meet in 2007, we did not set out to feed all of the hungry people in India or build shelter for all of its homeless. We chose one cause, one NGO, on which we would dedicate our fundraising efforts. And over the course of that year, I learned a lot about fundraising, a lot about India, and a lot about the potential to enact change.

AIF is built on a simple formula – raise money in the United States and send it India to support existing NGOs that promote education, public health, and livelihood. Offices in India provide on-the-ground research and follow up on grants through a streamlined process to ensure that the money is being used effectively. This efficiency and sustainability is what drew many young professionals like me to get involved

At the beginning of the first year, we decided to raise money for the Rickshaw Bank, a microfinance project that helps rickshaw drivers build a business and a better life for themselves and their families. Drivers rent rickshaws from the Bank and pay them off over a year, after which they are sole owners. This allows drivers to earn money for themselves, rather than paying off fleet owners, who typically charge a high fee for use of their rickshaws, preventing drivers from earning a sustainable income.

We set a pretty significant goal for ourselves – to raise $25,000 for the Rickshaw Bank. We defined our target audience and began planning our first event. Calling it a “friend maker” rather than a fundraiser, we sought only to introduce ourselves to people and build up some contacts. Despite a few difficulties – miscommunication, tight deadlines, travel for our day jobs – we able to put on a great inaugural event. Attendance, and subsequently profit, greatly exceeded our expectations. We also learned a lot of valuable lessons about project management and planning.

Our marquee event was a benefit dinner. This time we had a better handle on how to divvy up all the tasks. We worked hard to collect donation items for a silent auction and were ecstatic when one member got Jet Airways to donate 2 roundtrip tickets to India!

With all pieces finally together, we began tackling the last, most important challenge: ticket sales.

The team leader led the battle cry and we marched off to companies, universities, alumni groups, social networks, anywhere that had an audience and an email list. We irritated our friends with repeated requests and our coworkers were inundated with rickshaw-laced conversation, but we slowly saw the ticket purchases grow.

At the event, the time and hard work were worth it, as we were well over capacity. The chatter among the 200-person crowd drowned out the countdown to the auction, but the eager bidders happily cleaned us out.

After it was all said and done, we surpassed our fundraising target of $25,000! First and foremost, this meant a good donation to the Rickshaw Bank, which was able to start a new outfit in Allahabad.

But the group accomplished something else this year – the establishment of our team. With our lessons learned and contact list significantly longer, we are starting a new year with some fresh members and great ideas. We have influence, we’re sustainable, and we’re all very excited to see what we can accomplish this year.

If you’d like to get involved, email newyork@aifoundation.org.